


Arrival

by TreehouseW



Series: An Ever-adapting Canvas [2]
Category: GURPS
Genre: Cyberpunk, Female Protagonist, GURPS - Freeform, Gen, Italian Mafia, Mystery, Original Character(s), Roleplaying Character, Science Fiction, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreehouseW/pseuds/TreehouseW
Summary: In chapter 1, we experience the arrival of Nikita at the spaceport of Cyberia.She meets a mysterious girl in the hangar, who seems to be the only kind person present.
Relationships: Nikita Tolstoy & Astrella
Series: An Ever-adapting Canvas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119443
Kudos: 2





	Arrival

# An Ever-adapting Canvas

## Chapter 1: Arrival

As I leave the spacecraft, I am overwhelmed with voices and buzzing sounds of small robots. An announcer tries to inform everyone in the large hangar, but I doubt anyone can understand his words. I don't know where to go, but I guess I will follow the other passengers. The first obstacle I see looks like a regular luggage check. I watch as a middle-aged lady is instructing all passengers on what to do.

“Put your bag onto the conveyer and proceed, please." Her pleading sounded like a routine and not at all sincere, but I followed her instructions narrowly. 

I looked at her and saw the soul emptying effect of an endless workday written all over her face.

“Must be nice, seeing all those new and interesting people arrive at such a big spaceport,” I say trying to lift up her spirits.

She looks at me like I just insulted her down to her core.

"Oh great, another one thinking this city is like some American dream where everyone is happy and shining. Trust me, dear, this city will break you in a few days," and she grins at the end of her words as if she enjoys destroying young people's hopes.

I don’t know what an American dream is, but I figure it’s nothing all that great.

A bit dazzled by her reply, I take my bag off the conveyer after walking through some gate and turning to the woman once more. "Is everything okay?" I ask her, a bit scared of her next expression.

The woman nods and turns to the next person in line “Put your bag onto the conveyer and proceed, please.”

Touched by this planet's hospitality, I look up to see what's next. 

There are a couple of people standing in line in front of me. I try to look past them and see a man standing behind a counter. He looks armed and gives off policeman vibes, more than a customs employee. I can’t quite hear him above all the cluttering noise. It seems like he just questions everyone for a bit, and then they are allowed to move on. Some show a piece of paper, others a plastic card. I try to remain calm, realizing I don't have a document on me. I have travelled quite a bit on my home planet, so I figure he just needs to see some kind of identification. 

After a few people successfully move to the right, someone talks to the man and doesn’t show anything. The man points them to the left and I see them entering a door.

I nervously try to prepare myself for what’s to come, although there isn’t much I can think of. I just end up in various fantasy scenarios, playing in my head.

The line dwindles, and as I draw closer, the man’s voice becomes clearer.

“Do you have any form of identification? Are you a refugee or just some dreamer?” He sounds just as jolly as the woman from before, but at least he seems to stay sharp on the job. He looks everyone in the eye and carefully studies the documents.

I try to keep a calm posture, but I feel my stomach starting to move in circles on the inside. I have nothing to hide, I am a refugee, and I have every right to be here. It's just a feeling creeping up to me, like the nerves you get when doing something illegal for kids but typical for adults and you still feel like you are not ready.

“If you stay stiff like that, he’ll notice.” 

I escape my thoughts, freed by a soothing voice. I turn my head around, and a teenage girl looks me dead in the eye. I tense up again, wondering why I feel so intimidated by such a soft voice. After my first glance, I realize she isn’t a child. She looks small and young, but her face shows the look of a person who endured life for over a hundred years or so. Her long and simple skirt playfully dances around her slim legs while her long curly hair keeps waving in her face. I wonder if she isn’t cold due to the breeze and the fact that she’s just wearing a tiny top, leaving part of her belly exposed.

Before I can reply, she speaks again, "just take a deep breath and straighten your shoulders, he’s not that scary.”

I turn my head towards the man once more. I close my eyes, inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Without looking back, I thank her. All I hear is a soft chuckle.

Before I can really wonder about the girl, I realize there is no one in front of me.

A few feet separate me from the man behind his counter, and I step forward.

“State your name, please.”

Nervously I blurt out my name. “Nikita Tolstoy – sir,” I add after a short pause.

“Do you have any form of identification, Miss Tolstoy?”

I can’t really read this man’s feelings as he spits out his questions. I try to be as confident as him, but I doubt I come across as very assured.

“No, sir. I am a refugee from planet Targon,” and I lose my straightened pose while mentioning my home planet. I avert my eyes and fall quiet for a second.

“Stop being so awkward Miss Tolstoy, it’s not that hard. Tell me, what is the state of your planet?”

“Well, the planet is actually gone. We were attacked by,” – I try to find the words to describe what has happened without coming across as a weirdo, but I fail – “snakes. Because when our people decided to –,” and before I can start my story he looks in the distance as if something is rolling in front of his eyes and cuts me off.

"I have heard enough. Please take your belongings and walk through the door on the left,” and the man tries to look behind me to address the girl who was waiting behind me.

I walk towards the door feeling a bit down, though I already knew I had to walk through that door before I talked to the man. After a few steps, a thought occurs to me, isn't this door a little out of place? It doesn't look like the room behind this door fits the path newly arrived people would walkthrough. However, there is not a chance in the world that I would walk back to ask that scary man, no I have to press forward now.

I open the door, and as I enter, I can hear a man saying goodbye to someone across the room. He and I close the two doors facing each other at the same time.

“Oh hello, please sit down, Miss," and he points at a chair in the middle of the empty room.

I sit down and curiously look at the man. He is wearing a suit and looks a lot different from the spaceport employees. He might look a bit too happy to see me and I don’t really feel comfortable after I sat down in front of him.

“Welcome to Cyberia, your new home!” he says with a wide smile on his face and his arms stretched as if he wants to embrace the whole world. 

“Eh, thank you!” I say hesitantly but I also let out a sigh of relief, and I feel like the beginning of my new life has finally come around, though a bit ominous.


End file.
